Tonight at 8pm in The Writing Center (RB 291) is the second meeting of Writers Community of the new academic year. To introduce the organization to those of you who are maybe new to BSU or just haven’t heard of it, we’ve interviewed Tyler Gobble, senior Creative Writing major and current President of Writers Community about the group.

 

To start off, can you talk a bit about what Writers Community is, especially for those who may be new to BSU?

We are cool people who have a massive mutual love for writing. We get together on Tuesdays at 8 pm in the Writing Center RB 291 to get this stuff off our chests and hands. We read what we like (our stuff and others) and talk and talk and talk, until it hits 9:30 and we have to go home. We are a welcoming bunch, looking for friends and peers who love what we love: words and lots of them. We also showcase this in public with readings, competitions, and this year even a writing-influenced bake sale. We capture all this word magic on the web at bsuwriters.wordpress.com and twitter.com/bsuwriters.

How did WC come to be?

The Writers Community is a student organization that was started a few years ago by two students and a faculty adviser to be a place for students who share a love for writing to get together to talk about it, as mentioned in the previous question. The beginning, as it was explained to me, came out of the same flame that burns this wick now: we all got these words and we  need to share them. There is also a cool post by Laura Relyea, one of said WC pioneers, on the blog.

How did you get involved with the group and how has this affected your academic career, or just overall experience, at Ball State?

Towards the end of my high school years, I began my love-fest with writing, but was unsure how to translate that into much, unsure how to talk about it, put it into a major, be a human with all these words in me. I found out about Writers Community through Andrew-Clark-Kennedy and I Facebooked him or something, and he said, “You sound cool! Come to a meeting!” or maybe “Okay man.” Anyways, I came to a meeting, people were reading these authors who were exploding off the page (Dean Young, David Foster Wallace, etc.) and talking about their writing/reading and they were good humans. I was hooked, and I refused to leave anyone alone until they made me president.

Things the Writers Community has given me: some friends, books (One time, the niceman Brent Royster brought copies of a Howard McCord book for us all), fame (I’M HERE AREN’T I?), aspirations (MFA, to publish non-crappy poems), a major (Elementary Ed–>Journalism–>English Ed–>Creative Writing), ETC!

What events are planned for WC and what are you most excited for?

Fall Events:
Sept. 7-9: Writers Community Bake Sale in RB 11-4. Buy some sweet, get some writing.
Sept. 14: Poetry Reading with Jennifer L. Knox, Shanna Compton, and Peter Davis. BL 104. 7:30 pm.
Sept. 29: Faculty Creative Writing Panel. RB 125. 7:30 pm. Bring questions about CW for our wonderful faculty.
Nov. 9: Poetry Reading with Matt Hart and Nate Pritts. BL 104. 7:30 pm.
Dec. 7: Undergraduate Writers Gala. 7:30 pm. Location TBA.

As usual, the Gala is always exciting to see my fellow UG writers show off their writing chops. New stuff: the two readings bringing in major poets (Knox, Hart, etc.) are really stokifying opportunities to see these poems beam from the source. Also, each of these readings will allow a BSU writer to open for the poets, chosen by Knox, Compton, and Davis (maybe you dear reader? maybe Jeremy Blogmaster?).

What aspirations do you have for WC?

BIG THINGS WOAH. Like more readings, getting these big-timers here to teach us a thing or two. Like bakesales to get us some money and fill our bellies. I think a Writers Community chapbook would be a cool thing to publish if we can get the money and support. I’ve been very pleased during my presidency (HA!) about the consistent attendance and conversations at each meeting. Let’s continue that okay?

Is there anything you’d like to say to current or prospective members of WC–sort of your presidential address?

Don’t be shy about your literary love! I was shy once, but look at me now! President and talking on this blog!

BYE